Storms Flood Las Vegas Roads and Damage Long Beach Coastline

Storms caused flooding in Las Vegas and severe coastal damage in Long Beach on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, as Tropical Storm Rachel brought heavy rain to Nevada and large surf battered California's Peninsula, closing roads, damaging infrastructure and prompting emergency work by local officials.

According to KTNV, Las Vegas received more than one inch of rain on the west side of the valley, while Harry Reid International Airport recorded 1.08 inches and set a daily rainfall record. The previous record was 0.78 inches in 2012.

Floodwaters covered roads near The LINQ Promenade, Koval Lane and Winnick Avenue, where the Regional Transportation Commission advised drivers to use alternate routes. Clark County Public Works worked to clear debris after road closures.

Fred, a Las Vegas resident who encountered flooding while walking his dogs, described the water conditions after seeing streets overwhelmed.

"It looks like I'm by a river and it looks like the dogs are thinking that it's gonna be a time to go in," said Fred.

Fred said he was surprised by the flooding and had not expected the amount of water after the storm. He also described seeing similar flooding in the area before.

"I woke up, and I was getting ready to take the dogs out, and I was shocked because I didn't hear the rain last night," said Fred.

Fred continued describing the flow of water near the flooded streets.

"It's interesting, and obviously you can see from the flow, it's going to be flowing like this for a while," said Fred.

Fred said he had previously helped rescue a woman during flooding near a canal in the same area.

"The last time it did flood, I actually saved a woman down at the corner here. She was pinned up by the fence right over the canal," said Fred.

Ryan, a Las Vegas resident who stayed near The LINQ after getting married Saturday, said he checked the flooding after receiving an alert about possible flood conditions.

"I've seen on the news and a few other times that it does flood pretty bad out here, so I was like, 'hey, let me go down there and check it out.' Lo and behold, it is flooded out here," said Ryan.

Fred said rainfall itself was welcome despite the flooding impacts.

"I enjoy when it's like this, not the flooding, but when it rains, because we get so much sunshine," said Fred.

Ryan added his view on the brief nature of storms in the area.

"Vegas is great; don't get scared of the rain, because it's quick. It's hard and fast, it's quick and done, and just have fun after it's done," said Ryan.

In Long Beach, heavy surf caused additional collapse of the historic boardwalk between 64th and 65th Place on Seaside Walk. The city placed sandbags, rebuilt protective berms and monitored nine red-tagged buildings and one yellow-tagged building.

Long Beach Fire Department spokesperson Melanie Miller said damage had accumulated across multiple storms.

"The collapse began when [Hurricane] Marie came," said Melanie Miller, Long Beach Fire Department spokesperson.

Miller explained that later storms continued adding pressure to the damaged area.

"and it's been building off of that. Then Hurricane Polo, now [Tropical Storm] Rachel. It's been continuous damage since then. There have been preparations — we even deployed 3,000-pound sandbags," said Melanie Miller, Long Beach Fire Department spokesperson.

Mayor Rex Richardson said the city was addressing the damage and emphasized the need for coastal protection.

"very seriously," said Rex Richardson, Mayor of Long Beach.

Richardson described the broader importance of protecting the coastline and historic waterfront areas.

"an importance to be incredibly serious in our region and in our state around climate resilience and coastal resiliency," said Rex Richardson, Mayor of Long Beach.

Richardson also highlighted the boardwalk's history and the need for infrastructure investment.

"This is one of the oldest boardwalks in California and lots of memories were made on that boardwalk," said Rex Richardson, Mayor of Long Beach.

He said stronger infrastructure would require significant investment as storms place new pressure on coastal systems.

"You have to build more climate-resilient infrastructure. Because 100 years ago it wasn't necessarily anticipated that we'd have this cadence of pressure — three major storm systems in six weeks is unprecedented in this region," said Rex Richardson, Mayor of Long Beach.

City manager's office spokesperson Laath Martin said Long Beach had a seven-point plan covering repairs, beach sand restoration, added protection and long-term funding.

"As we responded to [Marie], we also looked at future plans and ways to address [the storms] in the immediate, moderate and long term. We've had two additional storms since then. Some of the work is underway, and some is coming within days, weeks and months, depending," said Laath Martin, city manager's office spokesperson.

Martin said emergency repairs included reinforcing the boardwalk and using sandbags against wave impacts.

"It takes a lot of the brunt of the damage," said Laath Martin, city manager's office spokesperson.

The city estimated permanent repairs to the bulkhead and boardwalk would cost $1.5 million to $3.6 million and expected completion by the end of 2026.

"Because we're using a lot of materials right now to make emergency repairs to keep people safe, we then have to purchase more materials to do the permanent repairs. That's why there's such a wide range," said Laath Martin, city manager's office spokesperson.

Martin said the city was preparing for additional storms while scheduling longer-term coastal work.

"With El Niño, we expect more storms. They built the timeline around anticipated storms to the best in our ability. But this far in advance, you never know," said Laath Martin, city manager's office spokesperson.